Wellington City Councillors climate positions

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all council decisions.

I was a senior Minister in the Labour-led Government that passed the Zero Carbon Act and have advocated consistently for action on climate change. As a union leader I championed a Just Transition for workers in high emissions industries.

In my Mayoral campaign, I have already announced a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. Wellingtonians are great users of public transport but the system is coming under pressure.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays.
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD
• Continuing to look at how we can improve corridors to speed up our buses to get people where they need to go faster.
• Support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.
• Advocating to central government for greater investment in Wellington’s rail network
• Advocating for the Government to amend the GPS to remove the requirement for regional councils to increase fares annually.

Working with Labour’s Greater Wellington Regional Transport candidates, I’m also supporting:

• Fare caps so that public transport users pay for no more than 8 trips in a week. This policy will also encourage an estimated 300,000 additional trips on public transport.
• Investigating a scheme for public transport to be subsidised by workplaces, similar to Auckland Transport’s Fareshare scheme.
• Introduction of targeted off-peak fares for times when public transport is currently underutilised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy I announced recently focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and have already announced a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

My transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also open that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83 million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, absolutely.

I was a Senior Minister in the Labour-led Government that implemented the NPS-UD, and I support and want to build on the pro-housing District Plan changes.

Recently I released a comprehensive housing policy. This policy is focused on building a culture of ‘yes’ to new housing in council.

That includes:

• Streamlining consents, including through KPIs to the Chief Executive and the implementation of a ‘project partner’ approach to provide consistency and certainty for new developments.
• Creating an urban development office in council similar to Auckland’s Eke Panuku to Set up an Urban Development Office (UDO) similar to Auckland’s Eke Panuku to support developers and coordinate residential development alongside transport, public realm and community facility upgrades.
• Reviewing additional requirements given to developments within the District Plan (e.g. lighting and landscaping requirements) with the aim of reducing unnecessary red tape.
• Supporting the expanded Te Kāinga programme with a target of 1500 empty offices converted to affordable rentals.

I’m keen to investigate new tools to incentivise growth in good locations including Land Value Rates and changes to the development levy regime.

I have committed to protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades. I have also called for central government to step up on homelessness by changing emergency housing requirements and investing in more social housing and wraparound support.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the housing, transport and urban development policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes, I support Te Atakura. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all our council decisions. Our local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. A climate-friendly city that works for everyone means making buses, trains, walking, and cycling easy options.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays,
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD,
• Working across regional and city councils, and with central government, to implement low cost improvements to improve public transport travel times.

I support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy the local Labour team has released focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and the local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Our transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also aware that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I do. Labour councillors were one of the drivers of the ambitious new District Plan enabling more homes to be built, led the conversion of empty offices into affordable rentals, protected our public housing stock, and kickstarted the review of rates policy to incentivise development of vacant land.

However, more needs to be done. Wellington City Council must embrace density and take an active role in shaping a city that is modern, liveable, and enables people to live in communities where they work and play, while protecting our most vulnerable. Our housing policy includes:

• Changing consenting practice to be more proactive and supportive of development.
• Incentivising more office to residential conversions.
• Setting up an urban development office (UDO) within WCC to support developers to coordinate residential development alongside transport upgrades.
• Protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?
Yes. I voted for these goals and have supported their implementation through various decisions, and will continue to do so if re-elected.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?
Continue to put our focus on low carbon transport choices and denser housing - making it affordable and easier for more people to live car free.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?
Yes - we need to find better ways to support this information to come strongly through our advice and decision making processes.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?
I voted to do the network over ten years and have strongly supported it, and was gutted that we had to step back after central government pulled their funding. If we get that government funding back, I am all in!

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?
Yes - I have backed this up with votes to support this.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?
Hell yes! I drove the key amendments to enable thousands more homes close to the city and public transport. I am so proud of what we achieved and optimistic about the outcomes it will deliver.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?
Land Value Ratings are the next tool at our disposal to drive denser housing and discourage poor land use, and I will push for them to be implemented in the next Council term.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes, I support Te Atakura. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all our council decisions. Our local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. A climate-friendly city that works for everyone means making buses, trains, walking, and cycling easy options.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays,
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD,
• Working across regional and city councils, and with central government, to implement low cost improvements to improve public transport travel times.

I support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy the local Labour team has released focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and the local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Our transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also aware that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I do. Labour councillors were one of the drivers of the ambitious new District Plan enabling more homes to be built, led the conversion of empty offices into affordable rentals, protected our public housing stock, and kickstarted the review of rates policy to incentivise development of vacant land.

However, more needs to be done. Wellington City Council must embrace density and take an active role in shaping a city that is modern, liveable, and enables people to live in communities where they work and play, while protecting our most vulnerable. Our housing policy includes:

• Changing consenting practice to be more proactive and supportive of development.
• Incentivising more office to residential conversions.
• Setting up an urban development office (UDO) within WCC to support developers to coordinate residential development alongside transport upgrades.
• Protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?
Absolutely, we are facing a rapidly changing climate and we need to remain committed to Te Atakura - First to Zero to ensure that we are leaving a world for our children to thrive.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?
Enabling more transport choice, whether that's walking, cycling, or taking public transport is the best lever we have to reduce the cities emissions. I'm committed to the delivery of the Golden Mile, more cycle lanes, and the second spine.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

Yes, the Council needs to be a multi-generational decision maker and that includes investing in the future we want for our children.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?
Absolutely, our main constraint right now is funding. If central government policy changes and restores the 51% funding assistance rate then I would absolutely support the delivery of the bike plan over the original 10 years.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?
Yes, and specifically a time of use based charge.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?
Absolutely, encouraging a more compact urban form is the best way to enable people to make more sustainable transport choices that reduce their costs and emissions.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?
Unlocking new revenue streams for funding decarbonisation efforts. Right now we don't have a targeted approach to the way we handle carbon credits. We've accrued a large number of credits that subsidise the operation of our landfill, that money should instead be spent on existing projects that reduce our cities emissions.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes, I support Te Atakura. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all our council decisions. Our local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. A climate-friendly city that works for everyone means making buses, trains, walking, and cycling easy options.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays,
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD,
• Working across regional and city councils, and with central government, to implement low cost improvements to improve public transport travel times.

I support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy the local Labour team has released focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and the local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Our transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also aware that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I do. Labour councillors were one of the drivers of the ambitious new District Plan enabling more homes to be built, led the conversion of empty offices into affordable rentals, protected our public housing stock, and kickstarted the review of rates policy to incentivise development of vacant land.

However, more needs to be done. Wellington City Council must embrace density and take an active role in shaping a city that is modern, liveable, and enables people to live in communities where they work and play, while protecting our most vulnerable. Our housing policy includes:

• Changing consenting practice to be more proactive and supportive of development.
• Incentivising more office to residential conversions.
• Setting up an urban development office (UDO) within WCC to support developers to coordinate residential development alongside transport upgrades.
• Protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero? 

Yes.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years? 

Bus priority measures on the #2 route from the Eastern Suburbs to the CBD alongside a second bus route through the CBD will reduce travel time by up to twenty minutes. Making the bus faster, more reliable and cheaper will encourage more people to ride the bus and will reduce our transport emissions, which make up more than half of our city's total climate pollution.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals? 

Yes.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged? 

Yes.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced? 

Yes, provided the funding generated by the charge is used to reduce our city's climate emissions, and the congestion charge system is designed in a way that takes into account the impact on low-income residents.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development? 

Yes. I support rules and regulations that encourage the development of good-quality affordable housing within our city, especially near major transport routes and community facilities.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council? 

I would like to install solar panels at all suitable locations on council-owned properties. This would include roofs, but also looking at options like mounting panels on poles above car parks or other suitable spaces. Creating our energy will not only reduce our climate pollution, but it will also make us more resiliant and save the city money in the long-run.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Not while chasing it will result in an unaffordable place to live

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

I do not believe it is possible with our financial constraints

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?
Not while it will result in an unaffordable place to live

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

no

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

no

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

No as it is likely to result in less development

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

Am very happy to look at all suggestions on merit and cost

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes, I support Te Atakura. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all our council decisions. Our local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. A climate-friendly city that works for everyone means making buses, trains, walking, and cycling easy options.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays,
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD,
• Working across regional and city councils, and with central government, to implement low cost improvements to improve public transport travel times.

I support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy the local Labour team has released focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and the local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Our transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also aware that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I do. Labour councillors were one of the drivers of the ambitious new District Plan enabling more homes to be built, led the conversion of empty offices into affordable rentals, protected our public housing stock, and kickstarted the review of rates policy to incentivise development of vacant land.

However, more needs to be done. Wellington City Council must embrace density and take an active role in shaping a city that is modern, liveable, and enables people to live in communities where they work and play, while protecting our most vulnerable. Our housing policy includes:

• Changing consenting practice to be more proactive and supportive of development.
• Incentivising more office to residential conversions.
• Setting up an urban development office (UDO) within WCC to support developers to coordinate residential development alongside transport upgrades.
• Protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes. I've been supportive for the last two terms, I've voted for them to be funded. I've also been an advocate for the climate emergency declared by the council in 2019.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

As transport produces over half of the city's emissions, I'd continue with the low carbon transport initiatives like increasing public transport prioritisation and enabling other active modes through protected lanes.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

yes I have been for the last two terms, by committing to fund Te Atakura / First to Zero strategy, pushing boundaries with the 64 kilometers of bike network and bus priority programme, supporting plans to densify and revitalise the inner city so that people want to live there and easily lead a low carbon lifestyle. I have also been leading the work on the city's zero waste programme to reduce waste coming to landfill by 50% through removing sludge and food waste and organics. I will continue to prioritise climate mitigation work next term.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Yes if and as the opportunity arises as we have serious capital challenges.

Advocating to the government that cycle ways are basic and necessary infrastructure and that they need to reinstate NZTA / waka Kotahi funding will be critical to getting these programmes back on track.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes. I have already made votes that support this and will continue to do so.

I think the success of it is that the funding goes back into public transport as it does in the UK.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes I have supported this and continue to do so.

It is important that in Wellington we continue to densify close to the city centre, and inner city suburbs with good active and public transport infrastructure, helping car share to be a better option than owning a car so you can easily live a low carbon lifestyle.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

I’d champion strengthening letting communities lead their own climate work to enable them to lead climate action in the way that works for them. A good example is the Ngaio and Crofton Downs Climate Crew who were funded through the Climate and Sustainability fund to help their community measure and reduce their emissions.

I think council is getting close to pulling all the levers it can- it's now up to communities, businesses, sectors to find their own pathway to zero- and council can help encourage/ enable or incentivize this.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes, I support Te Atakura. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all our council decisions. Our local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. A climate-friendly city that works for everyone means making buses, trains, walking, and cycling easy options.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays,
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD,
• Working across regional and city councils, and with central government, to implement low cost improvements to improve public transport travel times.

I support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy the local Labour team has released focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and the local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Our transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also aware that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I do. Labour councillors were one of the drivers of the ambitious new District Plan enabling more homes to be built, led the conversion of empty offices into affordable rentals, protected our public housing stock, and kickstarted the review of rates policy to incentivise development of vacant land.

However, more needs to be done. Wellington City Council must embrace density and take an active role in shaping a city that is modern, liveable, and enables people to live in communities where they work and play, while protecting our most vulnerable. Our housing policy includes:

• Changing consenting practice to be more proactive and supportive of development.
• Incentivising more office to residential conversions.
• Setting up an urban development office (UDO) within WCC to support developers to coordinate residential development alongside transport upgrades.
• Protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.